Wall and ceiling areas measured room by room, converted to sheet counts at the specified size, with cornice, stopping, and every special-purpose board on its own line.
Plasterboard gets ordered in sheets, so an estimate in square metres leaves you doing the hard part yourself. We convert area to sheet counts at the size and thickness specified, which also exposes where a different sheet length would cut less waste.
Special-purpose board is where plastering quotes go wrong most often. Wet area, fire-rated, acoustic and impact-resistant board all cost differently and all cover different parts of the same building, so each gets its own area and its own line.
Walls and ceilings are measured room by room from the floor plan and the ceiling heights on the sections. Openings are deducted at actual size, and raked or cathedral ceilings are measured on the slope rather than in plan.
Areas convert to sheet counts at the specified sheet size, with waste set by how the room dimensions cut. Board type is split out: standard, wet area, fire-rated, acoustic and impact-resistant each get their own area, because averaging them is how a bathroom-heavy job loses money.
Then the linear and consumable items: cornice by the metre by profile, external corner bead, control joints, adhesive, screws, and stopping compound by coat. Render is measured separately by area and substrate, since the substrate changes the preparation and the coat build-up.
Nothing here is an allowance. Each line is measured off your drawings in its own unit, so you can check it against the plan yourself.
| Item | How it is measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wall lining | Area room by room, openings deducted at actual size, by board type | Board type is the biggest price variable and it changes room to room |
| Ceiling lining | Area by room, with raked ceilings measured on the slope | A cathedral ceiling measured in plan is short by the pitch factor |
| Sheet count | Area converted to sheets at the specified size and thickness | You order sheets. An estimate in square metres leaves the conversion to you |
| Wet area board | Area to bathrooms, laundries and kitchens, kept separate | Costs more per sheet and is required by code in defined areas |
| Fire and acoustic board | Area by rated system, with the system reference | A rated system has a specified build-up — you cannot substitute the board |
| Cornice | Linear metres by profile, with internal and external mitres counted | Profile changes both material cost and fixing time considerably |
| Stopping and finishing | Joint metres and coat count, plus compound and tape | A level-4 or level-5 finish is materially more labour than a standard set |
| Render | Area by substrate and coat build-up, plus beads and mesh | Render on blockwork and render on AAC are different preparations |
| Access | Ceiling heights and where a trestle or scaffold is needed | High ceilings slow ceiling work down substantially |
| Board type | Where it goes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | General walls and ceilings | The base rate everything else is compared to |
| Wet area | Bathrooms, laundries, kitchens | Required by code and dearer per sheet |
| Fire-rated | Party walls, shafts, garage-to-dwelling walls | Part of a tested system — no substitution |
| Acoustic | Bedrooms, party walls, home theatres | Often specified with resilient channel as well |
| Impact-resistant | Corridors, schools, commercial circulation | Common in commercial specs, rare in residential |
| Ceiling board | Ceilings at wider batten spacing | Different thickness to wall board on the same job |
Stopping to a standard residential set and stopping to a level-5 finish for a gloss paint or a raking light are very different amounts of labour on identical square metres. The finish level belongs in the specification, and if it is not there we ask, because guessing it either loses you money or loses you the job.
Same with control joints. On long walls and large ceilings they are a code and manufacturer requirement, and they add both material and time.
The same five steps on every job, whether it is a single slab or a full tender package.
Email the architectural and structural drawings, the specification and the scope of works in whatever format you have — PDF, DWG, or photos of a marked-up set. If something is missing we will tell you before we start, not after.
Walls and ceilings are measured room by room from the floor plan and the ceiling heights on the sections. Openings are deducted at actual size, and raked or cathedral ceilings are measured on the slope rather than in plan.
Every measured item gets its own colour and legend entry on the drawing. When the takeoff comes back you can see exactly what was counted and what was not, so you are never asked to trust a number you cannot trace. This is the part clients tell us they did not know they needed until they had it.
The takeoff is delivered as a working spreadsheet, not a locked PDF. Your rates sit in their own column, so you can change a supply price or a labour rate and watch the total move. Plug in your own numbers and the sheet is yours to reuse on the next job.
Quantities are re-measured independently and cross-checked against the drawing before anything leaves here. You get the marked-up plans, the priced spreadsheet and a plain-English note on anything we flagged as unclear or excluded.
The takeoff arrives as a live Excel spreadsheet with the colour-coded marked-up plans beside it. Your rates go in your own column, so you can plug in your own supply and labour numbers and reuse the sheet on the next job. Nothing is locked.
First estimate free. After that the fee is confirmed in writing as a fixed amount before any work starts. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in contract. Full pricing detail here →
A 2.4 metre ceiling and a 3.0 metre ceiling are not a 25 per cent difference — they are a different way of working. Sheets need two people, trestles come out, and the sheet layout may change to avoid an extra joint.
We read ceiling heights off the sections rather than assuming standard height, and note where trestle or scaffold work is required so the labour allowance is honest.
Quantities are measured against the standards and the specification for your job. Where a drawing and a standard disagree, we flag it rather than quietly picking one.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| AS/NZS 2589 | Gypsum linings — application and finishing | Fixing, jointing and finish levels |
| AS 2311 | Guide to the painting of buildings | Surface preparation the finish level has to satisfy |
| AS 3700 | Masonry structures | Render over masonry substrates |
None of these are unusual. They are the things that get missed when a quote is put together at 9pm after a full day on the tools.
If your question is not here, email it through and you will get a straight answer, not a sales call.
Both. The area is there so you can check it, and the sheet count is there so you can order. Counts are worked at the sheet size and thickness in the specification, and we note where a different sheet length would cut less waste.
Always, along with acoustic and impact-resistant board. Each gets its own measured area and its own line. Rated systems are listed with the system reference, because the board cannot be substituted without breaking the rating.
Yes, by linear metre by profile, with internal and external mitres counted. Profile makes a real difference to both material cost and fixing time, so a 90mm cove and a decorative profile are never on the same line.
Yes. Render is measured by area against its substrate, with the coat build-up, beads and mesh from the specification. Blockwork, brickwork and AAC all need different preparation, so they are measured separately.
None — we ask. If the specification nominates a finish level we work to it; if it does not, we list the level we have priced so you can adjust before quoting. It is too large a labour difference to guess.
The floor plan, the sections showing ceiling heights, the room finishes schedule and the specification. For fire and acoustic work we also need the rated system references off the drawings.
Most residential lining packages come back within 24 hours of the plans arriving. Commercial partition packages take longer — we confirm the timing when we have the drawings.
Most jobs cross more than one trade. We can price the whole package in one spreadsheet.
Your first estimate is free. Email the drawings and the scope, and you will have a marked-up takeoff and a priced spreadsheet back within 24 hours on most residential jobs. Prefer to talk first? Reply with "KEEN" and your number.